How to Can

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Freezing Apples

Freezing Apples is very easy. I freeze most items in freezer bags. Here I'll also share how to freeze apples ready for pie!

You will need:

tin foil

pie pan

fruit preserver or lemon juice

freezer bags or other freezer container

apples

sugar - optional

For freezing apples for pie you'll also need the following ingredients per pie.

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3T flour

dash of salt

Freezing Apples for Apple Pie

First thing to do is peel and slice your apples. I like mine in apple pie sized chunks. Save the cores and peels for the mulch pile or bury them in the garden... the worms will love you!

As you peel each apple slice directly into fruit preserver (follow the directions on the package) or water treated with lemon juice. (2 T lemon juice for 2 quarts of water) This will inhibit the browning so typical of apple slices.

When you think you have enough apples for a pie go ahead and place the apples in the pie plate just as if you were making a pie.

Go ahead and press them down and really pack them in. Pile them a bit so you will have lots of apples for you pie when you bake it.

Take these apples and place them in a large bowl. Combine your sugar flour, cinnamon and salt. Pour over your apples.

Mix to coat apples.

Place an oversize piece of tin foil into your pie pan. You want enough overlap to be able to fold the foil over the apples when you fill your pan again. In this picture I had just barely enough... so go ahead and be a bit more generous with your foil.

Pour your apples and flour sugar mixture into the foil lined pie pan.

Fold your foil over and cover thoroughly. Place the pan and foil in the freezer.

Tomorrow when the apples are frozen remove the foil package and place it in a large freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible. Seal, label and date.

Baking instructions

You now have a pie shaped apples to place in a crust and bake. When you are ready to make your pie, remove the foil and place frozen apple pie filling in a crust lined pie plate. Dot with 2 T butter and cover with top crust.

Bake in a preheated oven at 425 Fahrenheit for 55 to 55 minutes. Cover top crust loosely with foil to prevent over browning.

Cook from frozen! Do not let the apples thaw first. I've been told that if you let the apples thaw they release more liquid and will make a soggy crust.

Be warned, don't forget pie baking rule #1.... place some foil, a baking sheet or something on the rack under your pie to catch the drippings.

I found this pie to get very bubbly! Watch the bubbly juices. They will be very runny first and will probably over flow (thus pie baking rule #1) as it cooks the juices will get thicker. Remove the foil about 10 minutes or so before you will take the pie out.

When juice is thicker looking and the crust is lightly browned, the pie is done!

Enjoy.

Other ways for freezing apples.

Apples can also be frozen in a sugar or honey syrup. Or dry packed with or without sugar.

For packing with a syrup.

Simply peel and slice apples into lemon water as above. Drain and place in a freezer bag and add cooled syrup to cover. Seal label and date.

To make sugar syrup simply combine water with sugar and heat until dissolved. Let this cool before pouring over your freezer container.

Light – 2 cups sugar to 1-quart water

Medium -3 cups sugar to 1-quart water

When making honey syrup for freezing fruits, boil your water first. Then remove from the heat and add honey. Stir till blended and let cool before adding to your freezer container.

Honey syrup recipes for dipping or canning fruits,

light - 1 1/2 cups honey to 4 cups water

medium - 2 cups honey to 4 cups water

Dry Pack

Dry pack means no liquid. Apples can be dry packed with or without sugar.

I dry packed extra apples with sugar today as well as the apple pie above.

Simply peel core then slice into lemon water as above. When all apples are sliced, drain well and sprinkle with sugar. Mix to coat.

You'll need about 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar to each quart apples. I use the lesser amount. You may like more. Or you may want to freeze with no sugar.

Place in freezer bags, squeeze as much air as possible out of the bags, seal label and freeze. Easy!

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